Microsoft Word - EducationLibrariesWinter2008DOC.doc Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 46 Teaching Children 3 to 11: A Student’s Guide—Reviewed by Sheila Kirven Cockburn, Anne D., and Handscomb, Graham, eds. (2006). Teaching Children 3 to 11: A Student’s Guide (2nd ed.). London: Paul Chapman Publishers, ISBN 1-4129- 2028-0. $45.95. This book of essays by faculty members of the University of East Anglia, and other educators, is packed with information, relayed in an easy-going, conversational style, most accessible to the British trainee teacher. All the contributors have been practicing teachers in the classroom. Their essays include down-to-earth advice and hints from experienced veteran teachers. This revision of the 2001 edition boasts an updated layout which increases the readability of the book. Chapters begin with a boxed commentary on the scope and content. The size of the text is increased and is set off with adequate amounts of white space, subheadings are bolded and in large print. Shaded text boxes include summaries, followed by bulleted “issues for reflection” placed within another text box. Annotated bibliography of texts and articles lead readers to further reading, most of which have publication dates within the last three years. A surprising exception to this is the technology chapter (15), “Making ICT Meaningful”, which cites materials published mainly from 1993-1999. Considering the speed with which technology and software change, this is a startling shortcoming. The revision also includes a new chapter 2 on collaboration and “communities of practice,” thereby, increasing the number of chapters to eighteen. Even though this book contains a wealth of information for student and beginning teachers, including information about classroom management, lesson planning, student motivation, reflective practice, classroom observation, assessment and job-seeking, it is specifically aimed at the British “trainee teacher.” As explained in the preface (pg. x), the revision was accomplished to “… reflect the changes in [British] primary education in the last five years.” Student teachers in the United States may be distracted by Briticisms, such as “tick marks”, “maths”, and by acronyms such as NQE’s (newly qualified teachers), LEA (local education authority) and AT (attainable targets) relating to the United Kingdom educational system. This makes some of the essays ponderous reading. Other information such as the model curricula vitae (pp. 312-313) prescribe including dates of birth, gender and marital status information, all of which should not be disclosed when applying for positions in the United States. This is regrettable, because many of the essays contain explanations of basic theories and educational principles that are especially accessible to the lay or student reader. This book may serve as a resource on the British educational system for students doing comparative education courses or for students or educators preparing for an exchange program in the United Kingdom. Its use for students in the United States will be limited to those who have the perseverance to glean its information about basic educational theories and practices that are common to both the United States and the United Kingdom. This may be a worthwhile book for the dedicated reader, but it is an optional library purchase. Sheila Kirven is the Education Services Librarian at the Congressman Frank J. Guarini Library of New Jersey City University in Jersey City, NJ. She is a former Young Adult Services and school librarian. Email: skirven@njcu.edu B o o k R e v i e w s Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 47 Information Literacy Instruction Handbook edited by Christopher N. Cox and Elizabeth Blakesley Lindsay begins with a decent background essay on the evolution of information literacy through the 20th Century, followed by a number of chapters that focus on how to teach—the subject just happens to be information literacy. Around Chapter 5, “Curriculum Issues in Information Literacy Instruction” by Barbara Fister and Thomas W. Eland, the volume takes on the specificity this subject deserves. Ms. Fister begins by placing information literacy within the broader context of knowledge production, sharing, and use. She presents various approaches for integrating information literacy into curricula, such as first year experience, course- related instruction on demand, sequenced instruction, team-teaching, faculty development, and creating a learning commons. Thomas Eland continues the curriculum-integrated approach by focusing on the desired outcome of the information literacy program before it is developed, describing what is needed to build a sustainable, comprehensive information literacy program. He uses a curriculum-based information literacy program at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College as an interesting model that goes beyond the acquisition of research skills, asking more reflective questions about information such as: “Who owns and sells knowledge?” “Who has access to information?” “What counts as information (or knowledge)?” “Whose voices get published/do not get published?” The book continues with chapters concerning program management, leadership and student academic integrity. My two favorite chapters focus on “Instruction and Program Design through Assessment” by Debra Gilchrist and Anne Zald and “Instructional Technologies” by Stephen J. Bell, John D. Shank and Greg Szczyrbak. “Instruction and Program Design through Assessment” discusses four learning outcomes. The authors ask five questions, and then present ideas as to what you can reasonably expect to accomplish within 1-2 class periods vs. outcomes for a credit-bearing course within one discipline that can then take on a broader context: 1. What do you want the student to be able to do? (Outcome) 2. What does the student need to know in order to do this well? (Information Literacy Curriculum) 3. What type of instruction will best enable the learning? (Pedagogy) 4. How will the student demonstrate the learning? (Assessment) 5. How will I know the student has done this well? (Criteria for Evaluation) Gilchrist and Zald help the librarian through the process of designing learning outcomes and present options for alternative types of assessment to ascertain whether the learner has absorbed what has been taught: formal, informal, authentic, integrated, knowledge/content- based, formative, summative, self-assessment, and progressive and/or developmental. The authors offer criteria to guide the librarian teacher in the development and quality assessments that apply not only to the learner, but the program itself. Bell, Shank, and Szczyrbak focus on an instructional systems design model known as ADDIE: Analysis – the process of defining what is to be learned Design – the process of specifying how it is to be learned Development – the process of authoring and producing learning materials Implementation – the process of installing the instruction product in a real world context Evaluation – the process of determining the impact of the instruction. They encourage experimenting with new technologies, overcoming the resistance that may be encountered along the way by various parties. They provide examples Information Literacy Instruction Handbook —Reviewed by Barbie E. Keiser Cox, Christopher N., and Lindsay, Elizabeth Blakesley, eds. (2008). Information Literacy Instruction Handbook. Chicago, IL: Association of College and Research Libraries. ISBN: 978-0- 8389-0963-8. $40.00 Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 48 of library-created digital learning materials and tutorials. The remaining chapters of the work include one concerning diversity and the need for cross cultural instruction, making instructional sessions culturally relevant to all students, taking into account the most appropriate instructional strategy for optimizing student learning. “The Future of Information Literacy” is a great title for the final chapter of this slim volume, but does not live up to its promise, merely summarizing current efforts rather than taking on the difficult task of formulating opinions as to the opportunities for academic libraries in the future. This book may be helpful to librarians who are not fully aware of how to teach, but I’m not sure that it reaches its promise. That said, it’s an important work for librarians responsible for information literacy instruction who do not have training as educators. They will benefit by rounding out their interest in providing information literacy instruction by reading this book and taking to heart all that must surround good content to assure that learners absorb what is taught and are able to apply it in other situations in the future. Barbie E. Keiser is a information resources management consultant located in the metro- Washington, DC, area. Email: barbieelene@att.net Lesley Farmer, a very prolific writer, made a great decision when she decided to write Teen Girls and Technology. A quick look at Worldcat, Amazon, Books in Print, and Google Books and you can see that there is hardly anything monographic written about the subject. There are books that address teens and technology, but they usually only have a chapter or two devoted to females. Farmer’s book goes beyond the one chapter model to fully address the complex issues surrounding teen girls use of technology. The first section of the book is devoted to the teen tech girl’s reality where Farmer discusses the current situation for female teenagers and technology in terms of societal, family, social, economic, government and academic issues. Refreshingly, Farmer does not limit the scope of her book just to the United States, but takes a more global approach. In the introduction she gives a glaring example of the American teen girl who is unaware of the proliferation of her techie teen girl counterpart in Japan. After framing the situation in a global view, Farmer then spends parts II and III of the book focusing on success in the United States. She accomplishes this by laying out the stakeholders and elements for success in part II and then giving lesson or project ideas for schools, communities and families in part III. Given the title, this book is framed from the point of view that there is a problem with teen girls and technology. For a counterview, Dan Kindlon’s Alpha Girls, examines the new American girl that is thriving. It is based on his survey and interview data of teens across America and is compiled into long narrative chapters. For a well rounded collection, I would also recommend an earlier book by Farmer, Digital Inclusions, Teens and your Library. In Teen Girls and Technology, Farmer only devoted four pages to girl’s access to technology, but she devotes over 40 pages to access issues for teens in Digital Inclusions. Considering the psychological slant of Teen Girls and Technology, the potential audience is large. Specifically, public librarians could use this book for personal professional development or as part of a public library collection, the book would be handy for active parents or caregivers and community members involved with recreation or technology decision making. In general, this book is recommended for any library that has collections in psychology, sociology, management information systems, public administration, social work, communication, computer and information science, and education. Michelle Price is the Science and Outreach Librarian for St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York. She previously reviewed books for Education Libraries as Michelle Dubaj, and up until this summer was Reference & Instruction Librarian at Reed Library, SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia, New York. Email: mprice@sjfc.edu Teen Girls and Technology: What’s the Problem? What’s the Solution?—Reviewed by Michelle Price Farmer, Lesley. (2008). Teen Girls and Technology: What’s the Problem? What’s the Solution? New York: Teachers College Press. ISBN: 978-0-8077-4875- 6 (paperback), 978-0- 8077-4876-3 (Hardcover). $21.95 (pa.), $52. (cloth). Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 49 The Computer as an Educational Tool: Productivity and Problem Solving—Reviewed by Michelle Price Forcier, Richard C., and Descy, Don. E. The Computer as an Educational Tool: Productivity and Problem Solving, 5th ed. Columbus, OH. Allyn & Bacon, 2008. ISBN: 0-1324-3396-6. $99.40. The fifth edition of The Computer as an Educational Tool: Productivity and Problem Solving separates the content into two parts, “Foundation and Theory” and “Classroom Applications as Learning Tools.” In the first part the text not only covers learning theory, management issues, technology standards, legal and ethically issues, but it also has a whole chapter devoted to learning about the computer. It covers hardware, software, networking, input devices, memory, etc. For the pre-service and even the in-service teacher, this chapter is invaluable for its layman’s approach to technical issues. Each chapter starts with a section of questions as the advanced organizer. There is also a chart to show which National Educational Technology Standards for teachers (NET-T) are addressed in each chapter. The chapters are filled with figures, charts, tutorials, snippets from real classrooms called “Let’s go into the classroom,” and then end with exercises and references to the companion website as well as a glossary of terms. The actual printed book is really just one part of the entire package. There is a companion website supported by Prentice Hall and a take along CD included with the book. Prentice Hall still maintains the website for the fourth edition as well as the companion site for the fifth edition. The site is navigable by chapters, and each chapter has objectives, summaries, self-assessment and essay questions. The self-assessments are multiple choice or true/false tests which include page number hints to find the answers in the text. There are nine other categories of online materials for the chapters; web resources, professional development, digital portfolio, standards, web extensions, demo central, activity central, supplemental information, and PowerPoint slides. Not every chapter has all nine categories available. The web extensions (web quests) and activity central provide more opportunities for student exercise. A very cool feature is the digital portfolio. For those institutions that support programs where pre-service and in-service teachers have to develop a digital portfolio, the website has activities for each chapter for creating portfolio pieces based on National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NET-S). The take-along CD contains PowerPoint slides for the chapters, tutorial files, guidelines, lessons and tech trends. Only the PowerPoint slides are available on the companion website, the others are exclusive to the CD. The data files for the lessons that contain Filemaker Pro and Excel are excellent and great time savers, but I ran into trouble when I was working on a thin client computer that had no CD drive! A likely reason for website exclusion is copyright restrictions since the guidelines and lesson figures are reproductions from the text. The tech trends are reprints of a regular column that the book editor, Don Descy, contributes to the TechTrends journal. A large portion of the TechTrends journal is available freely online, but the CD does not reference the journal website. I would be remiss if I did not bring up a few competing titles, Meaningful Learning with Technology (978-0-13- 239395-9) covers a lot of the same topics but instead of organizing the book based on the tool, it splits chapters up by function, i.e. experimentation, communication, design. There is also Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (978-1-4166-0570-6), published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and fashioned like the Marzano classics Classroom Management that Works and Classroom Instruction that Work. It covers computer applications tools and their use in the classroom. Overall all, The Computer as an Educational Tool : Productivity and Problem Solving should be a necessary requirement for teacher education because of its split focus on both theory and application and the depth of resources included with the companion site and the take- along CD . For any institution that does not have the fourth or fifth edition, I would suggest moving it to the top of your priority list for purchasing. Michelle Price is the Science and Outreach Librarian for St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York. She previously reviewed books for Education Libraries as Michelle Dubaj, and up until this summer was Reference & Instruction Librarian at Reed Library, SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia, New York. Email: mprice@sjfc.edu Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 50 Teaching Information Literacy is written by a gifted librarian—the Coordinator of Instructional Services—at California State University in Bakersfield. Gavin clearly understands what instructors in information literacy need to do to assure that their students develop information literacy competencies, become confident, and carry those skills from academia to the workplace. The book provides academic librarians with chapters “arranged sequentially to stimulate a typical research process… within each chapter, a set of learning objectives is discussed, followed by class activities, instructor guides, and assessment tools” (p 5). In Chapter 1, Selecting and Narrowing Topics, there are three objectives for the seemingly simple goal, Formulate a viable topic. Instructors are told that they should encourage students to “begin the topic development process by discovering what has been said by others about a subject” by browsing various classes of resources, including textbooks, specialized encyclopedias, popular or trade magazines, library and bookstore shelves, Internet directories, and tables of contents of key journals (p. 7). She points to two sources that provide topics and background material for controversial subjects, Taking Sides series from McGraw-Hill (http://www.duskin.com/takingsides) and Opposing Viewpoints series from Greenhaven Press (http://www.wadsworth.com/pubco/serv_opposing.html) . Ways to narrow topics through brainstorming or clustering and classifying provide useful tips for Objective 2, “Narrowing a topic.” Objective 3, “Asking Questions,” is followed by suggested class activities for one-hour sessions and multiple sessions or courses, providing the reader with appropriate activities no matter the length they have with learners—a single session or multiple time throughout a semester. Also included are websites that deal with topic development, and links to assessment tools covering selecting and narrowing topics. The goal for Chapter 2, Developing a Thesis Statement, examines the difference between an argumentative and descriptive or informative thesis. This Chapter too concludes with Class Activities, Websites (on Thesis Development), and links to appropriate Assessment Tools for this topic. For those who want additional reading on the topic, footnotes for resources cited within the chapter are provided on the chapter’s final page. This practice continues throughout the book indicating the degree to which the author and publisher have thought about what would be most helpful to the reader. Chapter 3’s goal is to enable students “to retrieve a set of highly relevant references” (p. 37). Learning objectives for this chapter are “Construct a Boolean search strategy” and “Apply a Boolean search strategy” to locate resources in major bibliographic databases. Gavin takes a step-by-step approach to constructing an effective search strategy: 1. Write a clear statement of the topic 2. Divide the topic into concepts 3. Select words to express each concept 4. Use truncation appropriately 5. Translate the Boolean strategy into a parenthetical statement. Chapter 4 titled Evaluating Periodical Literature, helps students understand what periodicals are and their importance in conducting thorough research. Learning objectives in this chapter help to define a periodical, identify types of periodicals and their levels of authority (e.g., scholarly vs. non-scholarly) and understand their editorial perspectives and practices. Class Activities, Websites on Periodical Types, and Assessment Tools are followed by an extensive list of Tutorials and Quizzes on periodical basics. “Perform basic search strategies in periodical databases” is the fourth learning objective in Chapter 5, Search Strategies for Periodical Databases, preceded by three important steps that will help the reader learn how to: Define a periodical database and identify the major types (citation, full-text, hybrid, citators) Choose an appropriate database by determining its coverage and level of detail Teaching Information Literacy: A Conceptual Approach—Reviewed by Barbie E. Keiser Gavin, Christy. (2007). Teaching Information Literacy: A Conceptual Approach. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. ISBN-13: 978-0-8108- 5202-0. $45. Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 51 Know the organization of periodical databases The chapter includes websites on searching periodical databases. Chapter 6 provides the instructor with some useful tips for bibliographic instruction, such as explaining the Library of Congress classification scheme and interpreting a call number. The examples are excellent quizzes for students, though they should be adapted for additional disciplines. This chapter is the only one that perhaps provides too much detail for the average student, though the concept is well worth covering within any information literacy course as it is unlikely to be addressed elsewhere, in any other formal course or informal training. Learning to search online public access catalogs (OPACs) for relevant resources is the goal of Chapter 7. The chapter provides activities that will help the instructor persuade students to use Library of Congress subject headings as a search tool, teaching them how to find LC Subject Headings in the “Red Books” and compare LC Subject Heading to keyword searching. The final learning objective of the chapter is to help students recognize when they need to search beyond OPACs. Chapter 8 focuses on teaching students how to evaluate a book by its internal features (i.e., author, title page, additional front matter) and its content. The chapter concludes by providing a summary of where scholarly evaluations of books can be found; hence, the chapter’s title, Researching Book Reviews. The examples provided here will help any instructor think of relevant assignments to test whether students have mastered the subject matter. Searching the Internet effectively is difficult. Chapter 9 provides a guide for using basic Internet finding tools, such as search engines, meta-search engines, subject directories, hybrids and portals, with a discussion of the deep web and techniques for keeping current. Learning objective 2, “Preparing and executing a Internet search strategy” recommends eight steps: 1. Articulate the search topic 2. Know what is needed 3. Develop a logical search statement 4. Construct a query 5. Know the search features of each search engine 6. Examine the results 7. Modify the search strategy 8. Evaluate the trustworthiness of a site as well as the accuracy of its content. The final chapter focuses on evaluating Internet-based resources. According to the author, the goal of determining the authority and accuracy of websites consists of four learning objectives: 1. Know how to detect inaccurate information 2. Recognize a “possible” trustworthy site 3. Investigate and verify ownership of information 4. Know major website types that can mislead. This practical work for information literacy instruction presents its material in a logical flow and format, and is an excellent resource for all interested in the subject, in particular, high school and community (two-year) college librarians. Barbie E. Keiser is a information resources management consultant located in the metro- Washington, DC, area. Email: barbieelene@att.net To say that Curriculum Leadership is a thorough approach to the study of curriculum development and implementation is an understatement. The hefty 468 page volume is packed with the background, current issues, and further projected developments necessary to understand each stage of the curriculum study process. Glatthorn, Boschee, and Whitehead begin the book with Curriculum Leadership: Development and Implementation— Reviewed by Gail K. Dickinson Glatthorn, Allan A, Boschee, Floyd, and Whitehead, Bruce M. (2006). Curriculum Leadership: Development and Implementation. Los Angeles: Sage. 978-1- 4129-0426-1. $91.95. Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 52 foundations and they linger nicely in musing about “The Nature of Curriculum” (chapter 1) and review concept and types of curriculum, including the hidden curriculum. This reviewer found their chapter 2, “Curriculum History” to be overlooked in many other curriculum texts and tells the tale of the rise and fall of curriculum trends. Even undergraduates in teacher education programs will be able to find parallels to their own years of experience as a K-12 student. The authors’ tidy explanation of how each new wave of curricular reform was played out in schools is fascinating and they do a nice job of tying each phase through transitions to the next. The book continues through Part 1 to review politics of curriculum and basic curriculum theory. Part 2 focuses on curriculum planning and takes the reader from the conceptual stages of planning, through the general program of study, to specific fields, and finally to the processes used in the development of new courses and unit. The detail in the planning process, beginning with concepts and ending in what the classroom teacher implements in the classroom is an example of the thorough approach used in this text. Part 3 moves to managing the curriculum, and begins with supervising both the curriculum and how it is taught, including concepts of motivating teachers to move to a new curriculum and teaching strategies. Part 3 continues with curriculum implementation, alignment, and evaluation. Part 4 focuses on current trends, and includes discussions of specific subject fields, issues such as new technologies and new assessments. Adaptations for diverse learners are also discussed in this section. Curriculum Leadership will have a prominent place on the shelves of education libraries. Along with its value as a text for curriculum classes, it is a reliable ready reference tool for students at any level in the education field to check understanding of terms, review for comprehensive exams, and find support materials for class assignments. The real strength of this resource is the thorough approach. An extremely valuable resource for any library focused on education. Dr. Gail K. Dickinson is an Associate Professor at Old Dominion University. Email: gdickins@odu.edu I opened the book not expecting much—my interest is in information literacy and the title of the book made clear that its focus was reading—but from the first paragraph of the preface I was hooked. The premise of this ingenuous volume by Joan F. Groeber, an independent consultant and lecturer in the field of literacy and assessment, is that we must determine “what students need to know to progress through the educational system with some measure of success.” She recommends that we analyze the methods and strategies that successful, effective learners “employ to comprehend and respond to classroom materials” with a goal of “helping less experienced learners adopt these techniques.” (p. vii) The book succeeds in offering “a clear blueprint for the acquisition of ‘life skills’ based on what works for effective learners” (p. viii), which is precisely the link that we make between information literacy and lifelong learning. There are eight brief chapters (consisting of a mere three pages!) and while these pages are crucial, the 10-16 innovative exercises that comprise the rest of each chapter make this an invaluable book. Each exercise consists of a brief paragraph providing background— why this exercise is important and what it will do for the student—a description of the activity and questions that can guide discussion in the classroom. The author indicates whether the exercise is suitable for independent reading and small group discussion, for example, and suggests both formal and informal assessments. The book progresses from primary grades to middle school to high school addressing the level of comprehension necessary at each stage. Ms. Groeber lets us know precisely what each chapter is about through accurate titles. In Chapter One, titled, More than 100 Tools for Developing Literacy—Reviewed by Barbie E. Keiser Groeber , Joan F. (2008). More than 100 Tools for Developing Literacy. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. ISBN: 978-1-4129-6437-1 (pbk.), 978-1-4129- 6436-4 (cloth). $28.95 (pbk.), $62.95 (cloth). Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 53 Prereading Exercises, we learn that the exercises “provide readers with a chance to think about what they are about to read. Key elements in effective prereading exercises focus on purpose (why they are reading), text format (how the passage is organized), and prior knowledge (what they already know about the topic)” (p. 1). Chapter Two, Exploring Fiction, recommends classroom exercises that build on the relationship between readers and characters. “Once readers establish a reason to care about a character, they are willing to invest some time and emotion in a shred journey,” eager to see how the plot unfolds (p. 28). Chapter Three, Exploring Nonfiction, explains how becoming familiar with expository text structures— description, sequence, comparison, cause and effect, and problem and solution—“enhances readers’ chance of being able to comprehend the authors’ message” (p. 55). The importance of understanding alternate methods authors use to convey information, such as charts and graphs, is addressed in the exercises. The need to consider reading behaviors suited to learning about ideas, concepts, and opinions is also covered. Readers Responses (Chapter Four) provides opportunities for students to “share their perspectives about the text by participating in some form of postreading activity” (p. 79). It helps teachers provide meaningful evaluation beyond test examination. Exercises in this chapter focus on creating alternative endings or linking the story to personal experiences. Chapter Five, Note-Taking Strategies for Students, shows how the Cornell Note Taking System “coupled with effective listening behaviors and solid study habits, form the basis of a successful school career.” Exercises in this chapter “will help students become proficient note takers” during lectures (p. 106). Building and Reinforcing Student Vocabulary (Chapter Six) equips students with strategies for acquiring new words “as they become necessary for daily life… through a study of word origins or by grouping the words into categories based on definition or function” (p. 122). The author suggests how games and puzzles can be used to reinforce vocabularies. Chapter Seven, Exploring Research Resources, recommends that teachers “determine beforehand how much (or little) students know about how to navigate” the World Wide Internet (p. 141). To illustrate gaps in practical knowledge, Ms. Groeber uses the example of students who know how to get directions by using Mapquest, for instance, “but cannot identify the capital city of a state or country” (p 142). The activities presented in this chapter will help students in middle school and high school connect their use of the Internet with subject projects. Chapter Eight, Improving Study and Test-Taking Skills, recommends pretesting and stresses the importance of taking good notes, as well as using other study aids. It is a fitting conclusion to a practical volume that should be given to all teachers. Barbie E. Keiser is a information resources management consultant located in the metro- Washington, DC, area. Email: barbieelene@att.net No Challenge Left Behind: Transforming American Education Through Heart and Soul is a collection of previously published essays by former school superintendent and executive director of the American Association of School Administrators, Paul D. Houston. While all the essays are relatively short, most under three pages, they each pack a punch with challenging thought provoking ideas coupled with great storytelling. The book is divided into four sections. In section one the essays focus on the basic building blocks of leadership. Sensible advice in this section ranges from ways to find your own voice to ways to connect with others. The second section focuses on the role of superintendents in schools and the educational process. While the advice here is mainly intended for a specific kind of leader, the fundamental truths and ideas will be widely applicable to No Challenge Left Behind: Transforming American Education Through Heart and Soul—Reviewed by Rachel Wadham. Houston, P. D. (2008). No Challenge Left Behind: Transforming American Education Through Heart and Soul. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. ISBN: 978-1-4129- 6862-1. $28.95. Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 54 all types of leadership. The third section focuses on the challenges that educators face today and how we can go about transforming schools in this environment. Overall Houston makes two main points. First, that in order to transform schools we need to make schools into places that kids want to be. This means creating schools that are full of engaging, fun, and meaningful learning. Second he feels that current focuses on testing and achievement are pulling us further away from creativity and creative thinking, one of the things that Americans do best. Houston argues that transforming schools means making them into places that create students who are creative thinkers that challenge the status quo and conventional ideas. The last section describes lessons that Houston learned during his extensive travels. Among other things in this section Houston discusses what we can learn from other counties’ educational systems. These insights, especially into the systems of Ireland and Singapore, not only allow visions of what American is doing well but also of what we could do better. Throughout the work Houston uses examples from popular culture, his own experiences, and his travels to creatively illustrate his points. He uniquely and creatively blends theory, practice, belief, and storytelling to make this a wonderfully engaging read. Houston’s message to educators is upbeat and full of joy and hope. The overarching point of the essays is that the work we do comes from the soul and we must nurture the soul of the children with whom we work. This book does not set out to solve problems, but instead creates a philosophical environment that is full of engaging ideas and empowering philosophy that will certainly be the basis for whatever change the future holds. I highly recommend this title for all educators but especially for current and future administrators as well as any practitioner who has lost their passion for teaching and wants to rediscover the heart of the profession. Rachel Wadham is the Education Librarian at Brigham Young University. Email: Rachel_Wadham@byu.edu Deeper Learning: 7 Powerful Strategies for In-Depth and Longer Lasting Learning-- Reviewed by Julie Shen Jensen, Eric, and Nickelsen, LeAnn. (2008). Deeper Learning: 7 Powerful Strategies for In-Depth and Longer Lasting Learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, ISBN 978-1- 4129-5204-0. $40.95. Jensen and Nickelsen, former teachers, use their previous experience to inform their current professions as trainers and authors. In their latest book, they combine a theoretical understanding of brain-based learning with a practical how-to approach. The end result is a well-informed teaching methodology that is ready to be implemented in the classroom immediately. When the brain is in a state that is ready to learn deeply, students learn better and enjoy themselves more. This book gives teachers a step-by-step approach of how to help their students get to that point. The model presented here, the Deeper Learning Cycle (DELC), is composed of seven steps: 1. planning the standards and curriculum, 2. preassessing, 3. building a positive learning culture, 4. priming and activating prior knowledge, 5. acquiring new knowledge, 6. processing the learning deeper, and 7. evaluating student learning. Why so many steps? Because, with few exceptions, the brain requires repeated exposure to learn anything, and this model takes that into account. The first thing you might notice upon opening this book is how the format helps you practice what it preaches by giving you many opportunities to process the information. Each step in the DELC is explained first in terms of the research literature and then in how to implement it in the classroom. I was impressed with their coverage of the latest research. For example, in the section on processing, the authors explain how Bloom’s taxonomy does not mesh with current research, showing that so-called higher level thinking can take place without having lower level thinking as a foundation. On the other hand, they do not overwhelm you with theory. In fact, about half of this volume is devoted to hands-on Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 55 exercises, especially reproducibles that can be duplicated and given to students. I was also impressed with the section on building a positive learning culture, which not only takes into account the different types of learners but also the teachers’ personalities. Not every teacher needs to have a sense of humor or be “touchy feely”; the emphasis is on making teachers aware of their importance in setting the tone for their classrooms. One way to do this is by developing a teaching philosophy that can then be shared with students in the form of a classroom mission statement. Another is to be aware of the role nonverbal communication plays in effective teaching. The primary audience for this book is teachers in grades 4-12. However, much of the research covered involves college students as subjects, and about half of the hands- on exercises are directed at adult learners, so there’s a great deal here that is useful for teachers in higher education. Julie Shen is a Reference/Instruction Librarian at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Email:jshen@csupomona.edu CLIP Notes published by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) are quite frankly, without a doubt, a goldmine. From its inception in 1980, this ACRL program provides college and small university libraries with reports, surveys, and documents on specific “best” practices. The Continuing Education Committee, which oversees the series, envisioned the resulting publication as a packet; hence, the name, CLIP which stands for College Library Information Packet (Morein, 1985). “Each CLIP Note is comprised of three components: (1) information gathered from surveys sent to participating libraries; (2) analysis of survey results and review of the literature; and (3) sample documents (e.g., policies, procedures) pertinent to the CLIP Note topic.” (Clip Notes, 2006). The Notes form a code of conduct for all libraries not just academic, and titles published years ago are still consulted today. A case in point is CLIP Notes number 22, Allocation formulas in academic libraries (1995). Every time someone posts a query to a discussion list about creating budget formulas by specific collections, someone always mentions this book which was published more than ten years ago. When I saw the most recent addition to the Notes canon; a book on copyright, I was relieved and thrilled. All libraries deal with the trials and tribulations of copyright law and need guidance to adhere to requirements and restrictions. Copyright Policies compiled by Patricia Keogh and Rachel Crowley does not disappoint. The book begins by clearly stating that this text does not represent legal advice. Data were gathered by Copyright Policies, Clip Note #39—Reviewed by Jacqueline Snider Keogh, Patricia, & Crowley, Rachel. (comp.). (2008). Copyright Policies, Clip Notes #39. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries. ISBN: 978-0-8389- 8459-8. $45 Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 56 distributing the survey via Survey Monkey to 207 institutions of which 144 or 67% completed the questions. The book includes an analysis of the survey results, the survey questions with the responses summarized, a selected bibliography, and copyright policy documents from sixteen colleges and universities. The survey found that campuses addressed the topic of downloaded music most often followed by audiovisual recordings, sound recordings and then images. Interlibrary loan, electronic research database licensing and reserves received the most attention in terms of monitoring and enforcing copyright. Photocopying and downloading scored lowest. According to the results, the majority of staff, faculty and students receive copyright training either annually or “on demand.” From reading the responses regarding copyright education, the reader gains a picture of the similar ways in which various colleges treat this important topic. For example, many institutions discuss copyright during orientation sessions, at the beginning of the school year. In most cases, the library initiates the discussions. The real core of this CLIP Notes, however, lies in its assortment of copyright policies. The sampling here from Albion College, Goucher, Earlham, SUNY at Plattsburgh, and Wheaton to name just a few, covers this topic with depth and practically. These policies are wonderful guides upon which to base your own library’s policy. This CLIP Note as with others in the series is an invaluable tool for all libraries. The results of the survey plus the copyright policies make it a must-have. References Clip Notes: Guidelines for compilers. (2006). Chicago: College Libraries Section, Association of College and Research Libraries, American Library Association. Retrieved from: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/aboutacrl/acrlsections/collegel ibraries/collpubs/clipnotesguidelines.cfm#intro Morein, P.G. (May 1985). What is a CLIP note? C & RL News: College and research libraries news, 46: 226-229. Tuten, J., & Jones, B. comp. (1995). Allocation formulas in academic libraries. CLIP Notes #29. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries. Jacqueline Snider is co-editor of this journal, and adjunct faculty at The University of Iowa. Email: Jacqueline-snider@uiowa.edu . One of the challenging issues educators face today is how to successfully integrate English Language Learners (ELLs) into our school environments. With an unprecedented growth of the ELL population and federal mandates for assessment, one of the most significant challenges is determining if and when ELLs are underachieving. However, determining achievement potential is a complex business when it comes to ELLs. There are several reasons why ELL students may be underachieving and it is essential to determine if students are struggling because of the language acquisition process, instructional practices, learning disabilities, or a combination of factors. In order to give students the support they need, the first step is to determine the reasons for their difficulties. When the wrong determination is made, ELLs are often inappropriately referred to special education. This is where Why Do English Language Learners Struggle with Reading?: Distinguishing Language Acquisitions From Learning Disabilities comes in. This practical book, edited and written by specialists in bilingual and special education, attempts to provide Why Do English Language Learners Struggle with Reading?: Distinguishing Language Acquisition from Learning Disabilities— Reviewed by Rachel L. Wadham Klingner, J. K., Hoover, J. J., & Baca L. M. (Eds.) (2008). Why Do English Language Learners Struggle with Reading?: Distinguishing Language Acquisition from Learning Disabilities. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. ISBN 978-1-4129-4147-1. $31.95 Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 57 practical solutions to the challenges of assessing ELLs. This work was designed to assist educators in distinguishing between learning disabilities and other explanations for underachievement. Its main goal is to provide information that will lead to the most appropriate education for ELLs while reducing inappropriate referral and placement to special education. Divided into manageable chapters, each set of contributors makes a valiant effort to cover succinctly a very complex topic. The first two chapters discuss all the necessary background information on ELL demographics and the language acquisition process. Chapter two is especially well done as it addresses eight misconceptions about second language acquisition. This discussion is revealing and thought provoking as it lays bare many misunderstood ideas. Implications for practice are outlined that deftly guide readers to think about these issues in a whole new way. The remainder of the chapters use the framework of Response to Intervention (RTI) models to discuss how second language acquisition differs from learning disabilities and what things to consider when assessing the performance of ELLs. Each chapter expertly clarifies this new practice and describes how the procedures are similar to and different from previous approaches. Additional information on how data-driven decision making should be implemented in this model is also given. All the chapters give practical advice for those in the beginning stages of working with ELLs and new models. This basic level of information makes this work an excellent primer for those who have had little or no experience with an ELL population or the models described. Additionally all chapters include numerous guides, checklists, figures, tables and easy reference guides. The book concludes with an extensive reference list and a useful index. All chapters contain very informative Research to Practice sidebars that describe in detail important research projects and their outcomes. Overall, this is a resource for beginners, with just enough information and guidance to help focus thinking and steer new practitioners on the right path. Educators at all stages will find this a good guide to help make informed instructional and eligibility decisions for English language learners. Rachel Wadham is the Education Librarian at Brigham Young University. Email: Rachel_Wadham@byu.edu. The world’s most popular sport is football, known in America as soccer. Soccer fans are passionate, engaging in joyful celebrations of national pride after a victory or furious riots after a loss. Soccer’s most important international competition is the World Cup. There have been many upsets throughout the 76 year history of the quadrennial tournament, although only seven national teams have emerged victorious. Clemente Angelo Lisi is a news reporter and longstanding soccer aficionado. Lisi set out to create an encyclopedia of the World Cup for American readers unfamiliar with the tournament. A History of the World Cup: 1930-2006 documents the tournament’s beginnings, providing anecdotes and biographical sketches of the major participants. Following the table of contents is a foreword authored by United States national soccer team member Brian Quinn. An introductory essay discusses the author’s background in soccer, and provides context for the World Cup in comparison with football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. The text is divided into eight chapters. Each chapter presents the major events of the World Cup year, followed by profiles of renowned national teams like Brazil and Italy, and descriptions of qualifying round competition, group play, quarterfinal and semifinal contests, and championship games. Biographies, statistical records, and pictures of prominent players like Pelé, Maradona, and Ronaldo are interspersed throughout the text. Each chapter concludes with notes to document sources. A History of the World Cup: 1930- 2006—Reviewed by Warren Jacobs Lisi, Clemente Angelo. A History of the World Cup: 1930-2006. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2007. ISBN 978- 0-8108-5905-0. $29.95. Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 58 Highlights of chapter one include the birth of modern soccer through establishment of original rules in 1863, and the 1904 formation of FIFA, the governing body of the sport. The World Cup began play in 1930. The format called for teams to be placed into group brackets. Teams possessing the best records after group play advanced to the semifinal games, with the remaining two teams squaring off for the championship. In chapters three through five, Lisi focuses on Brazil’s World Cup success. A perennial contender for the World Cup, Brazil has taken part in all 18 tournaments, winning five. Pelé, the great Brazilian star known as “The God of Football” is profiled. After playing on four Brazilian World Cup teams, Pelé helped to popularize the sport in the United States by joining the New York Cosmos of the now defunct North American Soccer League during the mid-1970s. English star David Beckham had a similar effect when he signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer in 2007. Chapter seven considers whether soccer has gained greater acceptance in the United States after the 1994 World Cup. By awarding the games to the United States for the first time, FIFA hoped to foster an appreciation for the sport. Soccer festivals were held throughout the country to promote the World Cup. Group play took place in nine different cities. Over 94,000 spectators witnessed the final match in the Rose Bowl, while over one billion fans watched the television broadcast of Brazil’s victory. Chapter eight contains pictures of the infamous head- butt by the temperamental French midfielder Zidane. Lisi notes that the vicious incident in the 2006 championship game is the first use of instant replay by an official. Zidane was ejected from the contest as Italy captured its fourth World Cup. Zidane ended his career in shame, although he later claimed that the Italian defender Materrazi taunted him with profane comments about Zidane’s mother and sister. The book concludes with the glossary, appendices of yearly statistics and historical records, bibliography, and index. A History of the World Cup: 1930-2006 is a comprehensively researched source that will benefit newcomers to the sport as well as veteran observers of the tournament. Lisi’s enthusiasm for soccer can be easily ascertained. With the World Cup’s growing popularity in the United States, this text will be a very useful addition to the reference collection of any high school, public, or academic library. Warren Jacobs is a Reference/Instruction Librarian at California State University, Stanislaus. Email: wjacobs@csustan.edu A to Z of the Olympic Movement— Reviewed by Warren Jacobs Mallon, Bill, with Buchanan, Ian. The A to Z of the Olympic Movement. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0- 8108-5645-5. $40.00. The Olympic movement demonstrates the power of sport to enrich mankind through friendly athletic competition every four years. The former television host of the Olympics, Jim McKay, once called the games, “the largest peacetime gathering of humanity in the history of the world.” Idyllic at times, the Olympic Games are not immune from political, economic, and sociological pressures afflicting the world. Bill Mallon and Ian Buchanan are founding members of the International Society of Olympic Historians. In 1995, they wrote Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement to present a complete reference volume covering not only the superlative athletic feats, but the history, politics, and personalities of the Olympics. This title is the third edition of their original dictionary. The authors have also collaborated on several other titles on this subject, and were honored for their scholarly contributions to the Olympic movement. The first part of the text furnishes definitions for many three-letter acronyms and abbreviations representing sports contested, Olympic nations, and governing bodies of sport. The next section contains a brief chronology of the Olympic movement listing important events from the 12th century BCE through the upcoming Winter Games of 2010. Detailed summaries are provided for the Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 59 modern Olympic Games that began in 1896, continuing through the host city selection process for the Winter Games of 2014. An introductory essay helps readers to understand the Olympic movement, which differs from the actual games. Other subjects include the revival of the modern games through the efforts of Pierre de Coubertin, the economic impact of the Olympics for the host city and country, and the growing dependence upon television and commercialism for the expansion and fiscal viability of the games. The authors do not avoid controversial subjects, addressing gender inequality, blood doping, performance-enhancing drugs, boycotts, terrorism, and scandals. The largest section of the book is devoted to the concise, yet comprehensive and readable dictionary entries covering all Olympic sports, 202 participating nations, important events, and prominent athletes and administrators. Readers may learn about the significance of rowing and sculling, Cameroon, Nelli Kim, Lord Killanin, and the Olympic Bribery Scandal, to name only a few of the entries. The appendices include the sites, dates, and participating nations and athletes for each of the Summer and Winter Games. Additional data covering the presidents and members of the International Olympic Committee, medals won, final torchbearers, speakers of the Olympic oath, and the athletes disqualified for positive drug tests may be found in this section. A comprehensive bibliography and author information concludes the book. The A to Z of the Olympic Movement is one of more than twenty titles in Scarecrow’s A to Z series of guides covering topics as diverse as the Holocaust, Taoism, and Revolutionary America. This text is an essential addition to the reference collection of any high school, public, college, or university library. Warren Jacobs is a Reference/Instruction Librarian at California State University, Stanislaus. Email: wjacobs@csustan.edu Gaming Expert Eli Neiburger provides the knowledge you need to set up a gaming program in your library with his new book, Gamers…in the Library?! The Why, What, and How of Videogame Tournaments for All Ages. The author is currently the technology manager at Ann Arbor District Library (AADL). He piloted gaming tournaments at AADL and has given several talks and workshops on the topic around the country. Since he confesses very early on that he is a geek and a gamer, it is obvious that he has a great deal of experience and knowledge on the topic. The foreword, written by a mother of a tween who attends the tournaments at AADL, offers highlights from the patrons’ perspective on why gaming in the library works. The introduction transitions easily from the foreword and sets the tone for the rest of the book. Written in an easy, casual style, the book is entertaining and sometimes laugh out loud funny; a bit unexpected but welcome in a “how to” manual type of book. The first two chapters cover information on why gaming in the library is a good idea and provide some background on types of gamers. While Eli makes a very interesting case, and refers to other genres that also had a questionable place in the library world, I was left hoping that he would present more statistics and return on investment information. He does share great anecdotes of how this has worked at AADL but still I wished for quantitative evidence. Gamers…in the Library?! The Why, What, and How of Videogame Tournaments for All Ages—reviewed by Elizabeth J. Bollinger, Neiburger, Eli. (2007). Gamers…in the Library?! The Why, What, and How of Videogame Tournaments for All Ages. Chicago: American Library Association. ISBN: 978-0-8389-0944-7. $42.00 Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 60 The middle chapters outline the practical and technological elements in preparing for the event, such as choosing software and hardware, physically setting up hardware, and promoting events. While the author does tell you exactly what you need to know and do, I found the organization of the chapters a little confusing and disappointing. The chapters do not provide a step by step guide but combine practical information from later chapters while talking about higher level concepts. What the author has done particularly well is create charts of the different types of games, and rate them for tournament play by software ratings (E, T, M, much like ratings for movies) and by different subgenres. The charts make game selection much easier if you are unfamiliar with the genres. The chapter on “Setting It Up or More about Cables Than You Ever Wanted to Know” is particularly useful and perfect for someone who has never before used a console or built a lab. After reading this chapter a complete novice could mount a tournament without pulling all their hair out or tripping on cables. I must confess that I also identify as a geek and a gamer. Even so, there were some terms that the author uses in the book that I didn’t know or understand. While the book offers a fairly complete index, it would have been helpful to also have a glossary to refer to for unfamiliar vocabulary. Overall the book is a well written primer on the logistics of setting up gaming in your library. While it is not a step by step how to and it lacks empirical data to support why gaming helps libraries, this book is as enjoyable as it is instructive. This is a must read for anyone considering gaming in their library and a should read for teen and youth librarians. Elizabeth J. Bollinger is systems librarian at the Digital & Multimedia Center/Vincent Voice Library, Michigan State University. Email: bolling7@mail.lib.msu.edu Assess for Success, 2nd Edition, is an important resource for practitioners and other members of IEP teams. The book will serve as a guide to help plan and assess the transition process of students entering into adult life as it cover this important topic in great depth and clarity. The authors describe members of the IEP team as the target audience because “they assist a student of any disability and functioning level in defining his or her vision of the future and in reaching this vision.” This updated comprehensive and well organized text will assist students, families, and educators, and will make a lasting impact on the field. This joint publication is clearly thought out and designed. Each of the five authors is an expert in the field of special education and contributes both academic insights as well as professional, practical and research experience. The book begins by explaining the need for transition assessment, as well as the legislation relating to and the national standards impacting transition assessment. The authors also include examples of students dealing with transition and a variety of case studies for the development of chapter topics. The book has been organized into seven chapters containing an overview of transition assessment, career development, the role of self-determination, outcomes for IEP planning, roles of key players, methods of gathering information, and matching students to environments. Many chapters provide references and additional resources including both print and electronic. There are also helpful aids such as worksheets, and tables. There are also five appendixes and an index at the end of the book. The appendixes are also a useful Assess for Success, 2nd ed.—Reviewed by Celeste Moore Sitlington, Patricia L., Neubert, Debra A, Begun, Wynne H., Lombard, Richard C. , Leconte, Pamela J. Assess for Success, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-4129-5281-1. $31.95. Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 61 resource for the reader interested in helping the student transition successfully into adult life. The authors deal with the topic of transition assessment historically, legally and practically. This combined approach gives the reader an understanding of both disability and functioning levels, why transition assessment is so critical particularly in the middle school years and how planning and assessment can help students successfully transition into adulthood. The authors direct careful attention to the stakeholders in this process, and offer tips on working with all members of the IEP team. The book makes a significant contribution to the field, and is a must have resource for schools and any persons involved with an IEP team. Celeste Moore is a librarian at St. Andrew Hall Library, Syracuse, NY. Email: moore_celeste@hotmail.com Susan Udelhofen has extensive experience working with school districts in the area of curriculum mapping, and this multimedia kit takes full advantage of that experience. The kit is based on Udelhofen’s 2005 book of the same title, and expands that book by including a facilitator’s guide and video vignettes of teachers discussing their experiences with curriculum mapping, as well as showing the process in action. Udelhofen spends some time in the all three contexts (book, facilitation guide, and video) on the motivation needed for classroom teacher buy-in to the process. Her point that curriculum frameworks and pacing guides are not enough to fully understand what is being taught in classrooms is excellent. She also notes that curriculum maps showing what is taught over the course of the way are much clearer to parents than curriculum guides. The facilitator’s guide on CD and video DVD are based on what the publisher refers to as Udelhofen’s best- selling book by the same title. The book is included in the kit, and although it has a 2005 copyright, it still represents a strong curriculum mapping guide. The facilitator’s guide is thorough and detailed, and includes reproducible handouts on each stage of the process, from the beginning overview through to the workshop evaluation. The video vignettes are nicely done. Viewers will feel like they are being given a tour of the process, as if a door was opened into the workroom where one could see and hear teachers discussing curriculum mapping. Interviews with classroom teachers on specific aspects focus on the teacher perspective. The videos match each chapter of the facilitation guide, with some chapters having more than one video. The videos are short, with most of them less than 10 minutes. Although the $299 listed price on this reviewer’s information may seem steep, this is a complete workshop. An experienced facilitator at the building and district level will have no problem using the materials to prepare and deliver a comprehensive curriculum mapping workshop. This is a cost-efficient way to benefit from national expertise and yet schedule and pace the work sessions at the convenience of the school. The workshop has multiple uses for education libraries. First, it is an example of a professional growth workshop that can be used as a model. Students in graduate-level classes can review the types of handouts, the short videos, the pacing of the workshop, and the sequencing of content to understand how to build continual learning experiences for classroom teachers. Second, the kit can be used as a module in graduate coursework on curriculum mapping. In summary, Corwin Press has packaged Udelhofen’s book into a continuing education event for classroom teachers at the school and department level. It is a value- added purchase for any education library at the university or district-level. Dr. Gail K. Dickinson is an Associate Professor at Old Dominion University. Email: gdickins@odu.edu Keys to Curriculum Mapping: A Multimedia Kit for Professional Development— Reviewed by Gail K. Dickinson Udelhofen, Susan. (2008). Keys to Curriculum Mapping: A Multimedia Kit for Professional Development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. ISBN: 978-1-4129-5836-3. $299.95 Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 62 In Librarians as Learning Specialists: Meeting the Learning Imperative for the 21st Century, Zmuda and Harada outline the role of learning specialists in providing opportunities and objectives for student learning that can be systematically assessed. Zmuda and Harada have written a book for administrators and learning specialists that deal with the central themes of accountability, leadership, collaboration, and reflection to create a learning environment that is based on results. The authors identify areas where these themes should be addressed in the school environment and reorient the role of the learning specialist (with special focus on the library media specialist) as a key figure in achieving these goals. The book’s format provides ease of use for quick reference. Each chapter outlines a way in which learning specialists can be oriented to play a more central role in the “results-oriented” learning successes of their students and colleagues. Each chapter is broken into four parts which focus on: the theoretical background to the chapters’ content with an analysis of core literature; issues that administrators and staff must overcome to achieve the goals outlined; an analysis of the challenges learning specialists will face; and a framework for the role of the library media specialists. The authors also provide additional readings and exercises that connect directly to the core content of the chapter to bridge the gap between theory and practice. A comprehensive list of references at the end of each chapter and an index at the end of the book, make this a highly usable and accessible resource. In chapter 1, Closing the Learning Gap: Reframing Our Mission, Zmuda and Harada describe the importance of having a mission statement with defined learning principles that “describe the necessary components of the learning environment” (3). At the center of these principles, according to Zmuda and Harada, are reflection, collaboration, and assessment that stems from the learning specialists leadership role. Zmuda and Harada clarify the role of the library media specialist in the education environment while making explicit the need to develop a clear job description that identifies the specialist as a leader that affects change on student achievement and collegial developments. Zmuda and Harada outline the expertise required of all learning specialists (i.e. collaboration, content and pedagogical expertise, reflection and adaptability) while focusing on the need for library media specialists to create opportunities to align the learning goals of the library curriculum with that of the classroom curriculum (Chapter 2, The Learning Specialist: Clarifying the Role of the Library Media Specialists). In Chapter 3, Designing Instruction to Fit the Nature of the Learning and the Learner, Zmuda and Harada focus on learner centered instructional design and how learning specialists need to have not only a commitment to and knowledge of their areas of specialty, but also a connection to the students as their “coaches of learning” (49). Although Zmuda and Harada highlight the challenges to learner centered instruction, they focus the chapter on the collaborative process between classroom teachers and library media specialists that can assist in the design and application of learner centered instruction. They also provide scenarios from elementary through high school where the learning experience was personalized and the process was supported through collaboration. Of particular interest was the discussion on diversity in the classroom. Zmuda and Harada provide insight into this issue by addressing the challenges educators face in working with children from a variety of backgrounds and the ways that classroom teachers and library media specialists can support diverse learners. However, this section could have been expanded into a broader discussion of library media specialists’ role in design instruction for culturally diverse learners rather than focusing primarily on special needs students (e.g. ELL, LD, physically disabled). Although assessment is a central theme throughout the book, Chapter 4, Providing Robust Assessment and Librarians as Learning Specialists: Meeting the Learning Imperative for the 21st Century— Reviewed by Erin Fields Zmuda, A., & Harada, V.H. (2008). Librarians as Learning Specialists: Meeting the Learning Imperative for the 21st Century. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 978-1-5915- 8679-1. $40.00. Education Libraries, Volume 31, No. 2, Winter 2008 63 Feedback, focuses on the creation of indicators by learning specialists to ensure student achievement and future growth. Zmuda and Harada outline the different forms of assessment and provide examples of each. Additionally they focus on the challenges of assessment both as a tool of measurement and in terms of collaboration amongst classroom teachers and learning specialists. Providing insight into false notions of learning specialists’ responsibility in assessment of curricular goals, the authors effectively illustrate the need for learning specialists to become true partners in the delivery and assessment of learning while placing the library media specialist at the center of the more “authentic” aspects of learning (etc. analysis, drawing conclusions, applying knowledge, etc.). In the conclusion, the authors focus on the changing landscape of information resources and the type of sources students will need to be successful learners in a digital age. While Zmuda and Harada provide collection development criteria for library media specialists in building these “new” collections, the analysis is limited and a more in-depth review of the uses and expectations of users of digital collections and web 2.0 tools is necessary to understand if or how they should be implemented into a school library. Learning Specialists: Meeting the Learning Imperative for the 21st Century provides a practical framework for implementing values based practices into the classroom. With tables, rubrics, assessments, and examples from both theoretical perspectives and practical examples, the authors have created a highly useful resource that focuses on actualizing improvements in the school through collegiality rather than idealistic theory that sometimes permeates literature in education. Erin Fields, is a Reference and Instruction Library at York University, Toronto. Email: efields@yorku.ca Online Resources: Conservation & Archiving Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) AIC exists to support the conservation professionals who preserve our cultural heritage. As the only national membership organization in the United States dedicated to the preservation of cultural material, the AIC plays a crucial role in establishing and upholding professional standards, promoting research and publications, providing educational opportunities, and fostering the exchange of knowledge among conservators, allied professionals, and the public. http://aic.stanford.edu/about/index.html The Library of Congress Preservation: Collections Care and Conservation Includes these topics and more: Paper, Books/Bindings, Photographs, Scrapbooks, Leather Reformatting, Magnetic Media, Recorded Sound, Film, and Mats & Frames. http://www.loc.gov/preserv/pubscare.html National Park Service Conserve-o-Grams Conserve-o-Grams are short, focused leaflets about caring for museum objects, published in loose-leaf format. This is a selected list of documents that might be of interest to readers. http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/publications/conserveogr am/cons_toc.html Archival and Manuscript Collections and Rare Books 19/1 What makes a Book Rare? 1993 19/2 Care and Security of Rare Books 1993 19/3 Use and Handling of Rare Books 1993 19/4 Archives: Preservation Through Photocopying 1993 19/11 Preservation Reformatting: Selecting a Copy Technology 1995 19/12 Contracting for Reformatting of Photographs 1995 19/13 Preservation Reformatting: Inspection of Copy Photographs 1995 19/14 Judging Permanence for Reformatting Projects: Paper and Inks 1995 19/15 Storing Archival Paper-Based Materials 1996 19/16 Housing Archival Paper-Based Materials 1996 19/17 Handling Archival Documents and Manuscripts 1996 History Detectives on PBS Investigative Techniques Pages History Detectives is devoted to exploring the complexities of historical mysteries, searching out the facts, myths and conundrums that connect local folklore, family legends and interesting objects. Traditional investigative techniques, modern technologies, and plenty of legwork are the tools the History Detectives team of experts uses to give new - and sometimes shocking - insights into our national history. Their Investigative Techniques page includes topics on Document Examination: Testing documents identifies forged and authentic papers, as well as Paper Analysis: Determining age, make-up and origin. http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/